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Investigations

Former President of Massachusetts Transit Authority Operator and Companies Suspended

On September 2, 2014, John George, Jr. of North Dartmouth, Massachusetts; Union Street Bus Company, Inc. (USBC); and Trans-AG Management, Inc. were suspended by the Federal Transit Administration. The suspension was based on the August 5, 2014, indictment of George and his companies.

The indictment alleged that from approximately December 2007 to October 2011, Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) paid USBC over $1 million to manage and operate the public bus transit service. These funds were used to pay USBC salaries, benefits, and other expenses. The investigation disclosed that George misused federal funds by directing several employees to perform work on his personally owned produce farm during regular working hours. George also caused USBC to pay approximately $10,000 to a contractor for performing personal construction work, including re-modeling a kitchen at his residence. In approximately 2010, George also inflated his salary by approximately $200,000 (from $75,000 to $275,000) in an attempt to boost his yearly pension payment from SRTA.

Note: Exclusion actions (suspensions and debarments) are frequently for a specific period of time and the System for Award Management "Sam.gov" should be consulted to find whether a company is currently excluded.